IMMUNOLOGICAL IMBALANCE IN BREAST CANCER AND LUNG CANCER IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

• Published in: Medit͡s︡inskai͡a︡ immunologii͡a 2018-01, Vol.20 (6), p.927
• Main Authors: Glushkov, A N, Polenok, E G, Gordeeva, L A, Mun, S A, Kostyanko, M V, Antonov, A V, Titov, V A, Verzhbitskaya, N E, Vafin, I A
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Subjects: 17β-Estradiol; Benzo(a)pyrene; Breast cancer; Carcinogenesis; Health risk assessment; Hormone replacement therapy; Immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulins; Immunology; Lung cancer; Post-menopause; Progesterone; Pyrene
• ISSN: 1563-0625; 2313-741X
• DOI: 10.15789/1563-0625-2018-6-927-934

Previous studies reported some associations between class A antibodies specific for benzo[a]pyrene(IgA-Bp), estradiol (IgA-Es) and progesterone (IgA-Pg) and breast cancer (BC) in women like as with lungcancer (LC) in men. It was suggested that IgA-Bp and IgA-Es may stimulate tumor initiation and promotion,whereas IgA-Pg may inhibit the in vivo human carcinogenesis. The purpose of this study was to identify the suggested associations of such immunological imbalance withBC and LC in postmenopausal women. The serum A-class antibodies specific to benzo[a]pyrene, estradiol and progesterone (IgA-Bp, IgA-Es,IgA- Pg) were studied in 335 healthy women, 824 breast cancer (BC) patients and 127 cases of lung cancer (LC)by means of non-competitive solid phase immunoassay. The following results were obtained: Increased ratioof IgA-Bp and IgA-Es amounts exceeding the IgA-Pg levels was associated with a higher risk of breast cancer(OR = 2.8 and 2.4 respectively, p < 0.0001), and higher risk of LC (OR = 2.9 and 2.8, respectively, p < 0.0001).Conversely, the OR values decreased to 0.3-0.4 for BC and LC if IgA-Pg levels were higher than IgA-Bp andIgA-Es levels (p < 0.0001). These findings confirm the hypothesis that IgA-Bp and IgA-Es are capable tostimulate, and IgA-Pg, to inhibit the BC and LC occurrence n postmenopausal women. The balance betweenIgA-Bp and IgA-Es, on the one hand, and IgA-Pg, on the other hand, is much more important than individualcontents of these antibodies. In conclusion, the phenomenon of “immunological interference” is revealed, i.e., the mutual enhancementof IgA-Bp and IgA-Es effects, thus, probably, stimulating the initial and subsequent events of carcinogenesisinitiation and promotion, with a weak anticancer effect of IgA-Pg, and by weakening the mutual procarcinogeniceffects of IgA-Bp and IgA-Es by the marked effect of IgA-Pg.